Traditional television video and audio acquisition, production and broadcasting include nothing more than the following two patterns, namely a live broadcast pattern whereby signals are transmitted in real time, and a recorded broadcast pattern whereby signals are firstly produced and subsequently transmitted.
For the real-time live broadcast pattern, it is required to rent in advance such a transmission line as a microwave line, or a satellite line, or a fiber line. Due to factors such as restriction and cost of the transmission line, it is usual to firstly transfer respective signals from various cameras on the field into a mobile control room where the multiple signals are switched to/synthesized as a single program by a program director, and then transmit the single program via the transmission line to television stations as contents to be broadcasted. This puts great restrictions on the live broadcast director within a station during shot transitions. Although the transmission cost is reduced, the following deficiencies are inevitably engendered. Firstly, the materials for the program are greatly wasted and quality of programs is badly affected. Secondly, it is not only required to deploy the mobile control room but also required to equip therewith a large number of maintenance personnel, so the overall cost is still significant. Thirdly, with respect to the audience, it is only possible to watch the produced single program, thus losing the opportunity to personalize their own program. In order to avoid the deficiency of the aforementioned live broadcast pattern, it is usual for television stations to rent more transmission lines to provide directors within the stations with more materials. Although this enables more comprehensive reflection of the circumstances of the scenes and enhances the quality of programs, the increase in cost is a problem that could not be overlooked.
Network platforms of television stations (for example, China Network Television (CNTV)) serve to store programs, which have already been broadcasted at the stations, on the network platforms in a manner of whole or segment, so as to enable users to playback/view on demand these programs at any future time. However, in comparison with traditional television programs, the network platforms do not participate in the initial gathering and production of the programs. As can be seen from this, the network platform of a television station is merely a closed and secondary broadcasting medium of original television programs, and is characterized in its capability to allow the programs already produced to be played on various types of terminal devices.
In contrast, the IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) broadcast and control platform is an integrated broadcast and control platform of a television system for programs already broadcasted by different television stations, which is capable of integrating and broadcasting programs already produced by different television stations, so that audience at different locations can watch more programs. However, there is not much effect on and change in the production process of programs and watching behaviors of audience. Likewise, it is also a closed and secondary broadcasting medium.
Moreover, although the currently prevailing video network sites are diversified in terms of forms and channels for content acquisition, they are still directed to providing of already produced contents (such as movies and teleplays) and certain video contents as uploaded. There is no online live broadcast and interactive functions.